Human bones found in Sydney forest where serial killer Ivan Milat murdered two British backpackers

A massive police search has been launched in a forest where two British backpackers were brutally murdered after the discovery of another human skeleton.

The discovery of the bones, which include a skull and decayed items of clothing, has led to speculation that killer Ivan Milat had murdered an eighth victim and dumped the body there.

Among those who died at his hands in April 1992 were Britons Caroline Clarke and Joanne Walters, both 22, who were kidnapped, shot and stabbed to death by Milat after he picked them up while they were hitchhiking.

Grisly: The teenager carried out the killing in Belanglo Forest, near Sydney, where serial killer Ivan Milat dumped his seven victims

Their bodies were found in the Belanglo Forest, 80 miles south of Sydney, in September that year.

Miss Clarke, from Slaley, Northumberland, had been shot several times in the head while Miss Walters, from Maesteg, south Wales, had been stabbed nine times.

Despite a thorough search of the forest over following days no other bodies were found, but a year later a local man discovered a skull.

Police returned to the forest and found five more bodies after a more detailed search - backpackers who had been murdered in previous years.

Milat, who is now 65, was eventually arrested after British backpacker Paul Onions managed to escape from his vehicle and give police details of his attacker.

Police always suspected Milat had killed more people who have been reported missing, but no other bodies were found in the Belanglo forest until Sunday's dramatic discovery by a group of trail-bike riders.

Victims: Ivan Milat killed seven people - including Joanne Walters, bottom left, and Caroline Clarke, third from left on bottom, and dumped their bodies in Belanglo forest between 1989 and 1992

Homicide police and forensic officers who have closed off the area of the forest where the bones and skull were found said it was too early to say who the victim might be or even conclude the sex of the person.

Police said today the bones looked as though they had been in the forest 'for some time', but only scientific tests would determine just how long.

Acting police Superintended Evan Quarmby would not say how close the crime scene is to where Milat's victims were found.

'I'm not going to be drawn on that,' he said.

'That would infer we are making some sort of an assumption in relation to a previous investigation - we're not.'

Serial killer: Ivan Milat, pictured, killed seven people. A teenage relative of his killed a 17-year-old boy with an axe

He added: 'We have to wait for the results of a post-mortem examination and DNA tests. Hopefully, they will shed some light on the identity of the deceased and a cause of death.'

Police have begun looking at files of people who have gone missing in the region where the forest is located and those who have disappeared in areas where Milat was working as a road construction labourer.

While hundreds of young people who have gone missing remain on police files, it is understood there are no missing Britons who can be linked to areas where Milat prowled.

The trail bike riders came across the human bones in a heavily-wooded area of the forest, known as Dalys Waterhole, on Sunday afternoon.

They were lying near a track cut throughout the forest for use by fire trucks should blazes break out.

Detectives have formed Strike Force Hixson to investigate the discovery and are being assisted by the New South Wales Homicide Squad.

'The investigation is still in its infancy and it's early days and far too soon for us to know exactly what's happened,' said Superintendent Quarmby.

'Obviously there is a lot of speculation surrounding this discovery but we definitely will not be jumping to conclusions.

'There are many lines of investigation to explore.'

As well as his two British victims, Milat killed a German backpacking couple, a German woman who was hitch-hiking alone, and two young travellers from Melbourne.

Milat, who is currently serving seven life sentences, left his victims near rocks and fallen trees and covered them with bracken.

Police have not revealed how the newly-discovered bones were lying - and it is possible they had been disturbed by forest animals.

One of the bikers who found the bones, known as 'Andrew', said they had often ridden past the area but this time ventured further into the bushes.

He said: 'We saw what looked like leg bones near a log.

'We were, I guess, curious as to what they were, thinking they might be a kangaroo. But they looked a little too big to be an animal.

'Initially we weren't sure until we walked a little bit further into the shrub and behind a log. That's when we actually found the skull.'